


andante

by obstinateRixatrix



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 06:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4169064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/pseuds/obstinateRixatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yosuke gives Souji a CD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	andante

**Author's Note:**

> alright so I think it'll work best if you just right click & open the links to a new tab, then exit out of it whenever you feel like it. alternatively, you can go through the fic without any musical assistance, but where's the fun in that
> 
> track list for the CD & link to playlist is at the bottom
> 
> (apologies to all readers on mobile)
> 
> (and readers in general)
> 
> (kind of an involved fic)

There’s a lot you can say about Souji. There’s a lot of great things you can say about Souji; he’s pretty much the perfect guy. He’s smart as hell, constantly at the top of the class (which is pretty impressive given how many extracurriculars he’s taken up), and man, everything he does in his free time sounds like something right out of an after school special. When he’s not doing sports, or practicing… drama or band, jury’s still out on which club he’s actually in (maybe both), he’s working at a daycare, or a hospital, or running errands for people all over town, or, most importantly, making sure his best friend doesn’t flunk every single class in his high school career. If anyone put together a list of ‘Reasons to Appreciate Souji Seta’, it’d probably be a mile long.

And his taste in music would not be on it.

"Dude," Yosuke groans, letting his head fall onto the table with a dull 'thunk' as yet another concerto something number whatever starts up. "Don't you own anything less than a hundred years old?"

There's a stretch of not-quite-silence as the other boy mulls over the question for a worrying amount of time – it takes the length of a [particularly enthusiastic flute solo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJEBk3zCdSU&feature=youtu.be&t=2m36s) for him to offer a sheepish "Technically, everything was recorded in the past hundred years..."

No way. "Seriously? I was kidding! How the hell do you live like that?"

He shrugs, unperturbed. "Classical music helps me focus. My parents play it all the time, whenever they're around."

“And what, you never picked up a CD?”

“Of course I have.” Souji flops backwards, rifling through his bookshelf until, with a muffled “aha!”, he triumphantly holds up a case with some old guy on it, still lying on his back. “I got this pretty recently,” he says to the ceiling.

“How recent.”

“…two years ago.”

"You sure it wasn’t two hundred? That’d explain the hair.” Ignoring Souji’s retort, Yosuke plucks the CD out of his hand, and makes a face at the track listing. “Satie, huh? Hope you didn’t get someone who plays like they’re falling asleep, it’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.”

“Sounds like you know from experience.” From anyone else it’d probably come out skeptical (not that Yosuke would blame them), but Souji just says it with a hint of casual interest. Obviously it wouldn’t have been a big deal if he did express some disbelief, but that’s not the kind of guy he is. It’s… refreshing, in a way.

Yosuke shoots him an easy grin. “Y'know the whole thing about playing classical music around the house so your kid gets good grades? Complete bullshit.”

“Is that so?”

“Well hey, you tell me. What're my chances on tomorrow’s test?”

“It’s completely hopeless,” he deadpans, not missing a beat. “Make sure to call the fire department, because you are going to crash and burn.” At Yosuke’s answering groan, Souji laughs, propping himself up on his elbows. “You should have more faith in yourself. You’ve actually got a pretty good grasp of the material now, I think if we keep at it just a little longer you’ll be all set to go.”

“It’s been way too long already, partner, I’m at my limit!" Yosuke indulges in some pitiful moaning, which nets him an acquiescent sigh.

"I suppose we could take a break..."

Yes! "In that case, move over." Without waiting for a response, Yosuke makes his way to the stereo and finally puts an end to the furious assault of trumpets. Cornets? Whatever. “While I’m here I might as well get you to listen to music written by someone who’s still alive.” Fishing out his own CD player from his bag, he plops in [something that isn’t an orchestral cacophony](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_vi05RY_aU).

He stops it immediately.

“Uh. Sorry. Forgot I just switched discs.” Wow, rock is a loud genre. It’s probably best to just. Put an end to that. Before Dojima shows up and arrests him or something. Plus, Souji doesn’t seem like the type to jam out to guitar solos - his attempt to mask his aversion is, well...

"No, no, it was pretty... it was loud," is what he offers.

“Wow, that's generous.” Yosuke tries to laugh off his embarrassment, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Seriously, I’ve got a pretty decent range of music, I could probably find something for you – it’s not all aggressive guitars, I swear! I mean, if you want. Obviously our tastes aren’t going to be a perfect match, and I mean, I’d totally get it if you don’t-“

“Sure,” he replies, thankfully derailing that awkward ramble. “I’d love to hear what you have. First though, we should probably finish up with Pythagoras.”

Yosuke puts forth some customary protests, but not even the thought of reading some long-dead Greek philosopher can dampen his spirit; by the time Souji gets out the right textbook, he’s mentally going through albums he owns, stuff he’s downloaded, pretty much his entire music library, which proves to be a slight distraction from all the studying he’s supposed to be doing.

 

* * *

  

“Woah, were you actually taking notes?”

“What’s that supposed to – hey!”

Before Yosuke can finish, Chie reaches across his desk and snags the notebook, holding it out of his reach while Yukiko sits to the side, content to watch her best friend terrorize a hapless victim. Souji’s no help either – he just lets out a huff of amusement and tells Yosuke he’ll meet him on the roof, ignoring the plight of his poor partner. Luckily, it doesn’t take too long for the thief to hand his book back with a sigh - after flipping through it like a nosy jerk. “Well, that figures.”

“You could’ve just asked,” he snaps as he shoves it into his bag. “What happened to privacy, huh?”

“Right,” she drawls, stretching the word enough to add an accusatory tinge which, hey, he’s not the one going around stealing notebooks. "What’re you gonna be writing that needs privacy?”

Wow, okay, what? He manages to squawk out an indignant “Get your mind out of the gutter!” though it comes out a bit more hysterical than he'd like. He ducks his head, examining the contents of his bag. Yep, that’s his pencil. Eraser is present and accounted for. And would you look at that! Books.

Despite his best efforts, he can’t escape Chie’s scrutiny. “It’s just a list of albums, isn’t it? You’ve lent me some of them, I think. Which I’ve returned. Intact.”

Yosuke ignores the dig because really, at this point, he just has to accept that this is his life now. This is who he is. A walking reminder of a broken DVD. “I’m putting something together for Souji,” he says, as casually as he can manage. “Stuff I think he'd like, y'know?"

"Oh. Is it really that big a deal?"

"Well..." There's no way to really articulate just how intimate music can be. It feels kind of personal for people to know what makes him think of his partner, like they're getting a glimpse of what's in his head. Which, from his experience, isn't something he's comfortable with.

In the end, Yosuke hedges a weak "I'm just having trouble getting what he'd like."

Yukiko perks up, jumping into the conversation. “Oh! I know a good one!  [Szomorú vasárnap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOkUd4IZHE0)’s pretty old, but it’s a great song. Very calming. I think he’d like it.”

“Suhmowhat?” Well, it _kind of_ makes sense for a future innkeeper to get familiar with foreign stuff (not that many foreigners would come out this far in the country), but jeez, how did she learn to pronounce… Swedish? That sounds like it could be Swedish.

“It’s a Hungarian song with an interesting history! Apparently people who listen to it-“

With a little shriek, Chie covers her ears. “No! No way! I know where this is going and you can stop right there!”

As fun as Yukiko’s stories (and Chie’s reactions to them) are, Yosuke figures this would be a good time to make his escape.

 

* * *

 

“What do you like about classical music?”

“If you’re worried about the CD, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble with it. My tastes are pretty general - I like a lot of what I hear.”

Yosuke feels heat creep up the back of his neck. Jeez, is he really that transparent? “If that’s the case, why don’t you own anything other than Beethoven,” he grouses, grasping for some change of subject.

Souji makes a face. “Music genres are confusing.”

“Huh?”

“For classical music you can just say it’s baroque, romantic, modern, it’s pretty easy to categorize. But music genres… what if independent artists take a contract with a major record label? How popular does a song need to be for it to be considered 'pop'? What does alternative even _mean_?”

It’s hard to keep a straight face at how genuinely troubled he looks, but Yosuke manages. Just barely. “Are you telling me the only reason you don’t have more music is because genres stress you out?”

The silence that follows is answer enough.

“Dude,” he starts, before he bursts into laughter, “you think too much.”

 

* * *

 

Yosuke's always been pretty confident when it comes to music. It's not that he's an expert or anything - terminology and shit like that fly right over his head. It's just that restocking the CD section of Junes gives him a pretty good vantage point of what's popular. It can be pretty hit-and-miss for him, but on occasion he finds stuff that, while not quite in line with his tastes, sounds like something a friend would appreciate.

For the people he knows, it's easy to tell what they'd like. The stuff that Chie's into feels a lot like her - uptempo pop, a buoyant kind of beat that pulses through your body. Of course, that's not all she listens to, but Yosuke's confident whenever he texts her a song that she'll check it out, and that she'll love it (however reluctant she is to admit it). It just shows how well he knows her.

So, yeah, recommending music's kind of a personal thing. For him, at least. That's why when Rise tells him "make sure to put one of my songs in, senpai!" or when Yukiko sends him [the same 80s ballad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) six times in a row (seriously, what the hell), yeah, he makes sure to take suggestions into consideration, but, well. He doesn't want what Souji feels like to other people. He wants to get what Souji feels like to him.

What does Souji feel like?

Wait no, that. That came out weird. Like he thinks about - alright yeah let's stop right there and maybe take another look at phrasing.

What is Souji like?

(Much better, less creepy)

Souji's... the kind of person that draws people to him. It's not just that he's a genuinely nice guy who wants to help people out, though that probably helps - he's got this magnetism, this gravity to him. He has this way of making you believe - in yourself, in other people, and above all, in him. When you're with him, it feels like infinite potential’s within reach, whether firsthand or by proxy. When you're with him, you feel like you're part of something important.

At the same time, he's got such a mellow vibe. Souji's the kind of guy who'd indulge in lazy Sundays and afternoon naps, the kind of guy who goes fishing, which has _got_ to be the most boring activity in the history of mankind, but apparently he enjoys it. He's the type to take tranquility from it, which, well. It's not the strangest thing about him.

The thing is, it never feels like an intrusion to be with him, not when he's fishing at the riverbank, out running errands, or relaxing at home. It's easy to tell when someone extends an invitation just to be polite, but it's never like that with him. He has this way of making everyone feel genuinely wanted and welcome.

It's just... it's really nice to be around him.

It's with these thoughts Yosuke spends his evening jotting down and crossing out a myriad of songs, taking into careful consideration the construction of his list. Those are the nights where, after he finally goes to sleep, his dreams are filled with impressions of warmth and a sense of circulation.

 

* * *

 

A week later, Yosuke plops [a CD](https://8tracks.com/kaji-dha/i-can-t-believe-i-made-a-playlist-for-fanfiction) onto Souji's desk.

"Put together a bunch of songs I thought you'd like. Tell me which ones you think are good, alright?"

Souji nods, slipping it into his bag. Yosuke goes to his seat, trying not to vibrate anxiously. In hindsight, maybe he should've waited until the end of the day to hand it over. Then again, that'd mean holding onto it for the whole day. Is Souji the type to listen to a CD all in one go, or the type to drag it out? God, he hopes it's not the latter - at this rate, he won't be able to concentrate on _anything_.

Yosuke tries not to be overbearing, making sure not to even mention it at lunch, but later that afternoon, when he gets a text from Souji, he immediately hits the call button.

“Well?” he asks, trying hard not to sound like a nervous wreck. “What’d you think?”

"There was a lot of variety. I was pretty impressed."

Alright, vague. "You should be. I actually raided my dad's collection for some of the songs, y'know. Figured he'd have stuff to suit your old man tastes," he teases.

He gets a chuckle in response, slightly staticky through the phone but with an unmistakeable and familiar warmth. "I'll be sure to thank him. But aside from the old man music, I was actually talking about the English songs."

"Huh?"  Yosuke balances his phone on the crook of his shoulder, looking at the track list written in his notebook. It's kind of a formality; at this point he's got it memorized. "Yeah, I guess there's a bunch. They just ended up on there. I couldn't listen to them without thinking about you."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. Like the... [second to last song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inJtTG_DuU)? I mean, not entirely sure it sounds like something you'd listen to, but the second I heard it all I could think of was you."

There's a pause. "It's the same for me," he says in a soft voice. It feels significant somehow, this admission, but before Yosuke can press any further he continues with "it's a good CD. Do you mind if I borrow it again sometime?"

"Borrow?" He scoffs. "Dude, it's yours."

The surprise is near audible in the subsequent silence. "Really? It's alright if I keep it?"

"It's literally got your name on it," he says. Yosuke would know - he wrote it himself. "Come on, what's the point of making a CD for you if I keep it for myself? I’ve already got all the songs, partner."

He can practically hear the grin in Souji's voice when he says "fair point." Another pause. "Why don't we catch a movie this weekend?"

Yosuke tries not to sound too eager when the "sure!" comes out of his mouth. It's been a while since they've both had a free weekend; he's  usually covering shifts at Junes, and Souji's usually preoccupied with other things. He's a busy guy, between his ridiculous amount of side-jobs  and all the time he spends meddling in other people's business. It'll be nice to spend time together, he thinks. Moreso if it involves neither of them having to work.

 

* * *

 

They decide to meet at the train station and head to Okina together and, since Yosuke knows something's _bound_ to go wrong, he shows up almost half an hour early, periodically checking the weather on his phone. It never once changes from clear skies, but as weirdly reliable as weather reports around here tend to be, he's a little apprehensive.

He's been waiting maybe ten minutes when he hears "and here I thought I was going to be early. Haven't kept you waiting, have I?"

"Nah, just got here myself." He shoves his phone into his pocket, turning to face his partner who's flushed from... running? The heat?

~~It's a good look on him.~~

Souji glances at his hand. "Why are you carrying an umbrella?"

"Oh, well. You know." Just in case. Better safe than sorry. "If it's clear skies all day, you'll know who to thank."

"I'll be sure to let everyone know about your integral contribution to society," he says, a solemn hand over his chest, betrayed only by the slight quirk of his lips. He manages to keep a (mostly) straight face right up until they make it to the city.

They walk to the theater at a leisurely pace, frequently stopping to pet some stray cats because Souji's a complete and utter sap. But, well, that's why they're here early. Luckily, even with that hurdle of distraction, they manage to get in just before the previews start.

The movie itself is nothing special - there were explosions, fighting happened, and honestly at this point it's not nearly as impressive just seeing it onscreen. It's kind of cool to notice something he's seen from his friends, or done himself, but for the most part it's pretty boring. The one saving grace is Souji's quiet commentary about which of their friends should fight who in the movie (and why they would win), which nearly leaves him in stitches. He retaliates by coming up with ridiculously mundane reasons for the fight, ranging from "he definitely shouldn't have tried to take Chie's steak" to "that's what you get for insulting Kanji's needlework". They nearly get kicked out of the theater.

After that, they end up meandering towards a restaurant, one he's been curious to try. It's pretty good, though Souji whispers conspiratorially that his cooking's better, much to his amusement (and agreement) and they indulge in idle chatter throughout the meal, thoroughly discussing how each and every one of their friends is superior to any action hero. It's a nice time.

By the time they're done the sun is starting to set, which is unfortunately their cue to head back to the station. Yosuke's kind of glad they still have the train ride together, because... even though it wasn't terribly eventful, this is the kind of day he wishes he could make last just a little longer. He feels content and carefree, glad that he's alive and that Souji's by his side.

Luckily, before he can embarrass himself by saying something about that out loud, a faint call of "senpai!" reaches them right before Rise does. Chie and Yukiko trail behind, calling out a greeting of their own, which Chie follows up with "Why are you carrying an umbrella? It's not supposed to rain all week."

"Shut up," he says on reflex. Her answering glare is enough to make him backtrack. "It's just... one of those things. Y'know."

"No, I really don't."

"I wish we knew you'd be here." Yukiko lifts a bag full of... something that makes menacing, metallic 'clank'. "We could've used an extra pair of hands."

"Yeah, no. I'm not spending any of my weekend as your pack mule." Never again.  Yosuke's learned his lesson the first time around.

"Jeez, way to be a total killjoy." Rise turns to Souji, purse swinging at her side. "What about you senpai? Care to enjoy the company of three lovely ladies? We haven't been able to hang out at all lately! I'll get lonely, y'know." She pouts, crossing her arms in a way that's _incredibly_ cute, but also... kind of... intimidating.

Souji, of course, is somehow unfazed - he just ruffles her hair affectionately. "Sorry, sorry, I haven't been able to make time."

"You make time for Yosuke-senpai all the time!"

"Of course I would," he says, and Yosuke's taken aback,  momentarily stunned by the mess of giddiness and embarrassment that thrills through him - it's the kind of thing you always hope to hear, but when you actually do... it's really... something. He's so distracted he almost misses when Souji continues with "I mean, since we're dating."

Yosuke stares at Souji. "We are!?"

Souji stares back, equally surprised. "Aren't we?"

It time slides to a grinding halt, giving everybody ample time to digest the last few seconds. Rise's the first to recover, and when she claps her hands together everybody jolts out of their daze.  "It looks like-"

"-we should get going," Chie cuts in,  covering her mouth before she can finish that thought. "Right! That, uh, cafe might close. Before we get there."

"Actually, it's open until-"

"They might run out of everything! Bye!" She grabs Yukiko with her other hand and books it, but not before throwing Yosuke a look over her shoulder. While he can't claim to be a mind reader, he's pretty sure it means 'holy shit you owe me big.' He stares back with 'holy shit I really do.'

Souji watches as they take off. For a second it kind of looks like he's about ready to bolt after them, and without really thinking Yosuke reaches out, taking his sleeve in a loose grip. There's a lot of questions on his mind, but the one he blurts out is "was this a date?" And after that, his brain throws out all of the important _actual_ questions in favor of "this was a date, wasn't it. How long have we been dating? Oh my god, how many dates have we gone on?"

"I was under the impression that this was the first, actually." The slight smile on his face has a rueful edge, and Yosuke suddenly feels like his jaw is wired shut. "Maybe we should sit down," Souji suggests, before walking towards a bench. It doesn't afford the greatest amount of privacy, but it's probably better than having this conversation in the middle of the sidewalk.

They sit in a tense silence that couldn't have been more than a minute, but somehow stretches to an agonizing length. Souji is the first to break it with a sigh so quiet it might as well have been a breath.

"Sorry, I guess I misinterpreted."

"No, uh, sorry for..." Being clueless? Leading him on? Something? "Why did you think we were dating?"

He ducks his head, though he can't quite hide the faint blush on his face as he fixes his gaze firmly towards his feet. "The CD. There was a song you said that made you think of me."

"Oh, yeah." It was a quiet, pensive song with a steady beat, a comforting thrum that swelled to a pleasant climax, the kind of song you can really sink into. Perfect for him.

Souji can tell he doesn't quite follow. He breaks his staring contest with the ground to look at him with amusement, and maybe a hint of exasperation. "Yosuke, it was a love song."

"Was it?" Well, most songs are. Even if he couldn't understand the lyrics, he probably could've guessed.

"About two men."

Uh. Wow. Alright then.

"I thought you were trying to be roundabout. Or shy." He shrugs, nonchalant in a way that seems somewhat stiff. "I guess I was projecting a little. Lately I've been feeling like there might be something between us. I thought maybe... you felt it too."

Yosuke's first instinct is a solid "no," but 1) that might probably definitely not be entirely true, and 2) by now he's had enough experience to go with his second instinct - a much less damning "oh."

"We can just forget this ever happened, if you want."

"No, wait." He hasn't quite sorted out how he feels, his thoughts muddled and half-formed, but he knows he doesn't want them to leave it at that. Besides, at this point he knows pretending a problem doesn't exist probably isn't going to solve it. He wracks his brain for something to say, anything that might dissipate the strained atmosphere, taut with something gratingly anomalous.

"...Why don't you translate them for me?"

At Souji's questioning look, everything starts coming out in a rush. "I mean, I kinda want to know what you thought I was saying, right? And hey, it'll be a great way to study!" What the hell Hanamura. No wait, he hasn't ruined it yet. "Maybe next time I can send you something a little more... intentional."

As confused as he is, there's nothing ambiguous about the smile Souji sends his way. Before he can reply, a crack of thunder resounds overhead. They look at each other. "You had one job," he says, entirely deadpan.

"Keep that up and you can walk yourself home," Yosuke retorts, a cheeky grin on his face as he pops open his umbrella. It loses a bit of impact when he has to close it a few minutes later at the station, but afterwards, when they're back in Inaba, he doesn't say a thing when Souji ducks under it, maybe a little closer than necessary.

**Author's Note:**

> You just know Chie's stuck in Okina with the gals because of rain. She's probably staring out the window like, I don't know how, but this is Yosuke's fault and I'm gonna kick his ass.
> 
> anyway HELLO I HAVE A HUGE WEAKNESS FOR ACCIDENTAL DATING WOW this has been in my drafts SINCE FEBRUARY, MAYBE BEFORE, and you would not believe how many people it took to figure out 'pop' is a great word for umbrella opening
> 
> in any case, [here's the link](https://8tracks.com/kaji-dha/i-can-t-believe-i-made-a-playlist-for-fanfiction) to the playlist I made for it. it was very tough because I was trying to think about what songs yosuke might send protag, and I don't know nearly enough about the history of japanese music for that. after all that music though I like thinking that yosuke's dad named him after [Yosuke Yamashita](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlroshQ_gCM). yosuke's dad has an appreciation for old jazz and goofy 80s pop, which yosuke has inherited much to his mortification. anyway, track list:
> 
> Katachi - Shugo Tokumaru  
> French Navy - Camera Obscura  
> ユリイカ - サカナクション  
> Strawberry Waltz - Paris Match  
> Ride on Time - Tatsuro Yamashita  
> music controller (Remix) - capsule  
> Shadow World - Shikohiko Hirata  
> Tooi Hi - Advantage Lucy  
> Inside Out - Spoons  
> The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!! - Sufjan Stevens  
> Bloom - Paper Kites  
> Widths and Curves - Ohbijou
> 
> edit: OH MAN I TOTALLY FORGOT a dear & precious friend showed me [ a song that is v yosuke in terms of the stuff he canonically listens to](http://obstinaterixatrix.tumblr.com/post/118206608829/moose-blood-gum-i-didnt-get-much-sleep-last) (youtube keeps recommending me nickleback because of the little shit). didn't quite fit into what I thought he'd put into the playlist, but I figured I'd share.


End file.
